Ford will pause production of its signature electric pickup truck for several weeks, after a battery issue led to a fire in one truck during a pre-delivery quality check, the company confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation following multiple reports.
The fire occured on Feb. 4 and spread to a nearby vehicle, prompting the company to both suspend production and halt shipment of trucks that had already been produced, CNBC reported Wednesday. It could take “a few weeks” for the company to resolve the issue and resume production, but it has “no reason” to believe that the issue affects vehicles that had already been shipped to customers, a Ford spokesperson told the DCNF. (RELATED: Ford Slashes Thousands Of Jobs In Europe As It Pivots To Electric Cars)
“During a standard Lightning pre-delivery quality check, one vehicle displayed a battery issue and caught fire,” the spokesperson told the DCNF. “We believe we have identified the root cause of this issue. By the end of next week, we expect to conclude our investigation and apply what we learn to the truck’s battery production process; this could take a few weeks.”
President Joe Biden drives a Ford F-150 Lightning at the Ford Dearborn Development Center in Dearborn, Michigan on May 18. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)
Battery issues are often major concerns for automakers, since they often represent the end-product of billions in investments, CNBC reported. The F-150 Lightning is particularly important to investors, representing both a major product for the struggling company and the first mainstream electric pickup truck.
President Joe Biden’s signature climate change law, the Inflation Reduction Act, is poised to offer more than $136 billion in subsidies for electric vehicle batteries over the next 10 years, according to private analysts.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has cited “execution issues” for costing the company roughly “$2 billion in profits” in 2022, CNBC reported. The company posted a $2 billion loss in 2022, down $20 billion from 2021 and $1.1 billion short of its own estimations.
The company recently cut several thousand jobs in Europe to focus on its electrification efforts.
Ford did not immediately respond to a Daily Caller News Foundation request for comment.
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